The present invention generally relates to a shutoff assembly of a sink or bathtub, and more specifically to a shutoff assembly that is effective in stopping water flow and can be easily operated.
In general, a sink or bathtub has an outlet for draining water. When it is desirable to store water in the sink or bathtub, the most common method for preventing the water from being drained out is blocking the outlet. A plugging device or blocking assembly is often provided to block the outlet. The plugging device may be made of a generic rubber material and plugged into the outlet directly to stop water from flowing into the outlet. The blocking assembly may comprise a stopper controlled by a linking rod which can be moved up or down so that the outlet can be opened or blocked.
The plugging device, which is a device external to the sink, has a drawback in that it is easily lost. The blocking assembly also has a drawback because the outlet may not be completely blocked if the external force exerted to the linking rod is not sufficient. If the linking rod does not cause the stopper to block the outlet tightly, water may leak through the outlet.
This invention has been made to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks of a conventional plugging device or blocking assembly. The primary object of this invention is to provide a new structure for a shutoff assembly that can be easily operated to open or close an outlet of a sink or bathtub. Another object is to provide a shutoff assembly which can not be lost easily.
According to the invention, the shutoff assembly comprises a drain opening coupler, a drain cover, a main body, a plugging device, and a shutoff cap. The main body has a through hole in which the plugging device is disposed. The plugging device has a bottom bolt stud screwed to a screw hole formed on a coupler seat of the drain opening coupler. A side recessed slot is formed on the plugging device. Within the side recessed slot, a protruded center piece, two side pieces and a bottom triangular piece form a sliding path. A hook lever is disposed in the side recessed slot. The bottom of the hook lever is bent to form a bottom hook which may be trapped into a reversed V-shape recess formed at the bottom of the protruded center piece.
The plugging device has a top hole in which a spring is disposed. The top of the hook lever is attached to a plugging cover which covers the plugging device and the spring. A shutoff cap further covers the plugging cover and the main body. A drain cover is placed below the top portion of the main body to cover the drain hole of the drain opening coupler. When the shutoff assembly is pressed, the bottom hook slides through the sliding path and is trapped into the reversed V-shape recess. The drain cover completely blocks the drain hole to prevent water from being drained out. When the shutoff assembly is pressed again, the bottom hook shifts out of the reversed V-shape recess and moves up through the sliding path. The drain cover also moves up to allow water to be drained out.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a careful reading of a detailed description provided herein below with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.